Digitally signing documents has now become the norm for businesses of all sizes. But, there is more to this process than just securing the signature. Many businesses need additional features to make their document management workflow as efficient as possible. signNow and PandaDoc are two popular solutions for e-signature and document management.
signNow is a cloud-based e-signature service for small to midsize businesses and enterprises that allows companies and individuals to securely sign electronic documents or contracts. PandaDoc, on the other hand, is designed for creating, signing and tracking documents and managing proposals. Built for speed and ease of use, PandaDoc allows businesses or individuals to quickly create and share documents that need to be signed.
signNow vs. PandaDoc: Comparison chart
Although PandaDoc and signNow share many electronic document signing features, their use cases differ. signNow is focused more on organizations that need an overall document workflow strategy that can work with a variety of documents, including legal and other critical areas, while PandaDoc delivers sales-focused tools and document workflows.
| Feature | signNow | PandaDoc |
|---|---|---|
| Legal electronic signature | Yes | Yes |
| Document storage | Yes | Yes |
| Custom branding | Yes | Yes |
| Document templates | Yes | Yes |
| API integrations | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $8 per user per month | $19 per user per month |
| For more information |
signNow and PandaDoc pricing plans
Both services are offered as a subscription that is billed per month based on a per user rate. signNow has the lowest cost, with its Basic plan being $8 per month compared to $19 for PandaDoc’s lowest-priced tier.
The more advanced Business tier plan is priced at $15 for signNow and $49 for PandaDoc.
One important difference is that PandaDoc offers a free tier with limited features but unlimited documents. signNow does not offer a free tier plan, but it does offer a seven-day free trial; no credit card is needed for the free trial.
| Pricing tier | signNow | PandaDoc |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 7 days | 14 days |
| Free plan | No | Yes. Unlimited documents with restricted features |
| Basic/Essentials plan | $8 per user per month | $19 per user per month |
| Business plan | $15 per user per month | $49 per user per month |
Feature comparison: PandaDoc vs. signNow
Legal electronic signature
signNow’s approach to legal electronic signatures leans towards broad compatibility and ease of use across many document types, making it highly adaptable for any business need (Figure A). PandaDoc also offers legally binding signatures, but it integrates advanced sales-focused functionalities like in-document payment options, which signNow doesn’t directly match.
Document storage
signNow provides a straightforward, secure document storage system with a major focus on accessibility and organization. PandaDoc takes a slightly different approach to document storage by integrating advanced tracking and analytics to offer insights into how recipients interact with documents (Figure B).
PREMIUM: Businesses may want to consider a cloud data storage policy for their documents.
Custom branding
Both platforms offer custom branding, but signNow’s implementation is particularly user-friendly, allowing for quick and easy brand alignment across all documents without extensive setup, aside from creating an organization within the platform (Figure C). PandaDoc also offers custom branding, and its customization options within its branding features enable detailed brand-specific tailoring that includes custom logos, buttons, colors and document themes.
Document templates
signNow offers a wide variety of templates suitable for numerous industries, making it exceptionally versatile. PandaDoc’s customizability shines once more, as it offers highly customizable templates across many categories that include interactive elements like pricing tables and videos, catering specifically to engaging sales documents (Figure D).
signNow pros and cons
Pros
- Simple to set up fields.
- Easy mobile or laptop use.
- Integrates with most CRMs.
Cons
- Needs more template variety.
- API could be smoother.
- Editing templates can be tricky.
PandaDoc pros and cons
Pros
- Reduces contract errors.
- Enhances sales review accuracy.
- Has a user-friendly interface.
Cons
- Needs offline functionality.
- Limited reporting options.
- Occasional editing glitches.
Is signNow or PandaDoc better for my business?
While signNow and PandaDoc offer core e-signature features, the differences boil down to what your specific business is focused on. signNow is a great solution for businesses that need contracts and other similar business-related documents signed regularly. On the other hand, PandaDoc shines in a sales setting, where the business is mostly sending sales documents to customers to close deals.
SEE: Considering signNow? See how signNow compares to Citrix RightSignature.
For organizations that need a comprehensive yet simple e-signature solution, signNow is every bit worth considering. As for organizations that need to optimize their sales workflows and enhance customer interactions with documents, PandaDoc cannot be ignored.
Ultimately, the question you’d need to ask yourself is whether you prioritize general document management or boosting sales document efficiency.
Review methodology
To provide this review, we examined the features that PandaDoc and signNow offer and tested the two tools to see whether they live up to their descriptions in official documentation. We then compared how the tools approached their shared features and held up our findings against the reviews of verified users to understand the experiences they got from the products. This helped us understand the strengths and weaknesses of the tools. Finally, we compared their pricing to determine which tool is more cost effective.